This is the first book to introduce young people, ages 10 to 100, to author and activist Jane Jacobs. Her now-classic 1961 book helped people value their cities, called for an end to the wrecking ball of "urban renewal," and ultimately changed the world. In words, vintage photos, and illustrations, Genius of Common Sense follows Jacobs from her childhood in Scranton, Pennsylvania, through her groundbreaking work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and her involvement in battles to save the very New York City neighborhoods she wrote about.

This young-adult book serves as a valuable introduction for readers of all ages to the life and work of Jane Jacobs. Even those familiar with this remarkable woman will find information and images never published before.